Mac mini gets a redesign

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Apple has updated its space-saving Mac mini both inside and out. We got a preview of the mini yesterday; look for our complete assessment in a future computer Ratings.

Outwardly, the Mac mini is a lean, compact computer. It now has the same unibody aluminum casing as the MacBook Pro. It’s about a half-inch thinner than the prior version of the mini, but slightly larger at 7.7 inches square instead of the 6.5 of the older mini.

The power supply, however, is built into the unit, so you’ll no longer have to contend with a clumsy brick. Apple is also emphasizing the Mac mini’s energy efficiency, saying it uses less than 10 watts of power when it’s idle, a 25 percent reduction from the prior Mac mini. The company also says the Mac mini is Energy Star 5-compliant.

You can open up the mini with a twist-off panel on the bottom of the case, unusual for Apple, and upgrade memory yourself—from the included 2GB to up to 8GB—instead of being forced to have Apple do it.

Two more firsts for the Mac mini: the inclusion of a memory-card slot and an HDMI port.

The new Mac mini starts at $700 for a 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of RAM, Nvidia graphics and 256MB of video memory, and a 320GB hard drive. You bring the keyboard, mouse, and monitor.